Many aspiring writers think the hard part of authoring a book is coming up with a good plot, rich characters, time to write, and the painstaking editing process. That stuff is all challenging, for sure. However, do not underestimate the work you’ll need to do to find a literary agent. You hear of writers who …
There is a lot of criticism floating around (like that annoying, sticky yellow pollen that ruins summer for a lot of us) about self-publishing being less legitimate than traditionally published books. Many naysayers (how many of them have published anything, self or traditional?) claim that all self-publishing really means is that your writing wasn’t good …
I’ve known from the time I was a kid that I was born to be a writer. I might not have known to classify myself as such, but I was always the kid carrying around a notebook and pencil. I often wish reading had been more encouraged in my house, but such is life. It’s …
You’ve probably read all the encouraging advice that claims you have a unique story in you that only you can tell! Yeah, yeah, right? When you’re suffering from a decades-long (or is it just me??) case of writer’s block, it’s hard to believe that a best-selling story is burning a hole in your chest. But …
Most unpublished writers lack self-confidence more than they lack writing skills. The truth is that most people who feel they were born to write, have a certain degree of natural ability. What’s holding most of us back isn’t that we’re not good with sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, syntax, or anything related to our English or …
Most would-be novelists spend too much time thinking about writing and tire themselves out by the time it comes time to actually write. I know I’m guilty of doing that. Why? Lots of reasons! 7 things to do that are more fun than actually writing Thinking about writing Talking about writing Reading How-to books and …
I first became acquainted with Margaret Atwood when I took her Master Class on writing a couple of years ago. I was lured in by her trailer for the class, never having heard of her prior to signing up for Master Class. She is highly engaging, dry, and as smart as they come. Throughout the …
Deciding where to set your novel can be super fun (as Elle Woods would say), or it can induce a ton of stress on your already full mind. I say your mind is full because, if you’re a writer, your mind is always full. Anyway, sometimes it’s easy to get hung up on the setting …
Sometimes, if you’re anything like me, you just need a quick little soundbite, a pearl of wisdom, a little sign to keep writing. You suffer from the terrible ailments of procrastination, self-doubt, self-loathing, laziness, and daydreaming. The only way to really get over any of that is to write. It’s not a sexy answer, I …